Ch 10 -The Seven Ages (NCERT sol.)

3. On the basis of your understanding of the poem, answer the following questions by ticking the correct choice

(a) All the world is a stage is an extended metaphor for- (i)The life shown in well known plays (ii) Seeing the well known plays (iii) Life of well known plays (iv) Life of man that comes to an end Answer –(iv) Life of man that comes to an end

(b) All ‘have their exits and their entrances’ Exits and entrances refer to __________. (i) Birth and death (ii) Beginning and end of play (iii) Coming and going of actors (iv) The end of the Shakespearean era Answer – (i) Birth and death

Page No: 82

(c) The seven roles that a man plays correspond to his___________. (i) chronological age in life (ii) desires (iii) mental age in life (iv) idea of a perfect life Answer – (i) chronological age in life

4. Having read this extract, identify the stages of a person’s life as Shakespeare has done. Write down these stages in your note book, and sum up the characteristics of each stage in two or three words. e.g. Stage Characteristic feature Infancy- crying Answer

Stage

Characteristic feature

Infancy

Crying, helpless

Childhood

Whining, bright, alert, active

Lover

sentimental, unhappy, poetic, tense

Soldier

quarrelsome, short tempered, foolishly looking for glory and fame in the jaws of death

Justice

Wise, mature, authoritative, responsible

Old age

getting weak and lean due to failing health, loss of manly voice

Extreme Old Age

Clueless ,dependent

5. work individually, and rank the seven stages in order of attractiveness. If you think being a schoolboy is most attractive, you could rank it number 1. Then, work in groups of four and compare your individual. rankings. Ans. –1. Lover 2. School going boy 3. Soldier 4. Judge 5. Infancy 6. Old age 7. Extreme old age/ Second Childishness.

6. Explain the meaning of the following

(a) ……………..all the men and women merely players They have their exits and their entrances………….. Answer-The above lines from the poem “The Seven Ages” show a comparison between the world and a stage. According to William Shakespeare the whole world is like big stage. The men and women come on this stage and play their different roles like actors and actresses. Our birth is the entry to the stage and death is the exit

(b) And then the lover Sighing like furnace…………….

Answer – The above lines from the poem “The Seven Ages” say that on becoming an adolescent, one falls in love. According to William Shakespeare the passion of love becomes active like the heat of a furnace. This passion also declines after crossing a certain period of time.

(c) a soldier, ………………….Seeking the bubble reputation Even in the cannon’s mouth.

Answer – The above lines from the poem “The Seven Ages” show a comparison between a young man and a soldier. In his youth. man seeks instant fame and is ready to take risks for the same. Even one is not afraid to go in the canon’s mouth.

7. You already know the two literary devices generally used by writers for comparison, i.e. metaphor and simile. e.g. a) He was a lion in the battle, (metaphor) b) He fought like a lion, (simile) In (a) the writer talks of the soldier in terms of a lion. The comparison is implied. In (b) the writer compares the soldier to a lion with the use of the word like, (as may also be used for such comparisons.)

Read the poem again and note down the metaphors and similes. Copy and complete the following chart.

Item

Metaphor

Simile

World

All the world’s a stage

Men, women

school-boy

lover

soldier

reputation

voice

Which comparison(s) do you find most interesting? Why?

Answer –

Item

Metaphor

Simile

World

All the world’s a stage

Men, women

men and women merely players

school-boy

Creeping like snail

lover

sighing like a furnace

soldier

bearded like the pard

reputation

bubble reputation

voice

big manly voice

8. In this poem, life is compared with a play. Just as in a play a man acts many parts, so in life also a man plays many roles. Can you think of some other comparison for life? (For example, life could be compared with the seasons in nature, the days of the week, the lessons in a school day.) Select one of these comparisons (or choose one of your own), and write about the similarities that life has with it. Ans.Similarities of Season in Nature with Stages of Life .The cycle of man’s life is very similar to the cycle of seasons in nature. As seasons start with the spring, men take birth and make entrance on the stage of life. It is the best period of man’s life. Everything sprouts and blooms. It is full of colour, romance and beauty. Then comes the summer. It is full of warmth and heat. It is like the passionate youth of man’s life. Then comes winter. It is the coldest period of the year. Everything hibernates, lies low and becomes inactive. Similarly, in the old age all passions die down and dreams cool down. In the end comes the autumn. It is when all the old leaves fall as dead. Everything is stripped of life and greenery. So comes the time for the exit of man.